Reasons to Shop at Independent Small Retail Specialty Stores

If you shop in a small retail specialty store, you’re looking way beyond the lowest price and the largest selection for sure.  This proves there’s more to the retail business than just selection and price.  Customers who shop with small retail specialty stores feel that small stores give superior service in order to survive in the world of “big box” retail stores that we live in today.  Customers feel more important in a small retail specialty store because they are – every sale is important.  Unlike the “big box” stores can turn off 1,000 customers (not that they do) and not be affected, but a small retail specialty store can’t afford to lose a single customer to bad service.  Generally speaking customers believe that the smaller the business the better the service.

Customers go to a small retail specialty store so they can feel special and buy special, different merchandise.  Customers don’t go to a specialty store so they can see the same merchandise they can find in a department store, do they?  Small retail specialty stores thrive because different is a good thing.  Small retail specialty stores customers shop there because they don’t want to look like everybody else or because they don’t want to give a gift that everybody knows what he/she paid for it.

Customers are busier than ever today and they hate to wait for anything – but they especially hate to wait to check out.  A small retail specialty store usually doesn’t have that problem.  Most customers of small retail specialty stores love the intimacy and smaller size of a specialty store because they don’t have to take the escalator to another floor or walk a long distance to another department.  Salespeople give better service because they can bring merchandise to the customer more quickly.

Customers like to see the familiar faces in a small retail specialty store.  They feel like family.  Owners usually maintain a presence on the selling floor and this alone keeps customers coming back. Sales associates in a small retail specialty store become some of the customer’s favorite people – they provide a sense of security.

Small retail specialty stores have a more knowledgeable sales staff.  Training employees is important to all retailers, but it is critical for small retail specialty stores.  Customers go to a small retail specialty store because they want expertise and believe they can find it there.  Customers expect all staff in a small retail specialty store to be expertly informed about the merchandise.  If you ruin an expectation then you’ve lost a customer.

In most cases small retail specialty stores have built a reputation that screams quality, and because of that, they use expensive and distinct packaging.  Some of these stores have built a business with their packaging alone.

No doubt about it, there is a niche market for small retail specialty stores in the huge world of retailing.  But they must have all of the above characteristics in order to be successful.